Method of making weatherproof sockets



' May 12, 1936.

C. BATEHOLTS METHOD OF MAKING WEATHERPROOF SOCKETS Original Filed Ma '4,1932 j: 0672507 Clinton Katie/"9015b b J war-v76} Patented May 12, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING WEATHERPROOF SOCKETSClinton Bateholts, Hoosick Falls, N. Y., assignor to SpecialtyInsulation Manufacturing Company, Inc., Hoosick Falls, N. Y., acorporation of New York Original application May 4, 1932, Serial No.609,067. Divided and this application May 28,

1935, Serial No. 23,840

3 Claims. (Cl. 18-59) decorations, and for other lighting or powerconnections.

Hitherto weather-proof sockets of this general description have beenmade of condensation material molded around the usual metallic sheetmetal shell which is formed with a screw thread to receive the lamp. Theshell wall constitutes one electric terminal; and the inner end of theshell is closed by a procelain insulating disk in the midst of which isset the brass pin which constitutes the other electric terminal. In theweather-proof type of socket with which the invention is concerned,these interior terminals are each at the inner end of an insulated wire,to which each is firmly connected by solder; and these wires lead outthrough the base of the molded housing and extend for a few inches forconvenience of connection to a pair of feed wires by tapping those wireswherever required. The socket and its lamp will then be supported bysuspension from the feed wires.

The socket herein disclosed is the subject of disclosure and claims inLetters Patent of the United States, No. 2,003,622, granted June 4,1935, and this present application, claiming the method of making such asocket, is a division of the application which matured into the saidpatent.

The invention relates to the combining of the metallic shell with themolded insulating casing .which houses it. Hitherto, in the making ofsuch sockets, it has been customary to have a mold into which the shellunit would be set, having been previously prepared with wires attached,and being screwed upon a stud in the mold, and the wires being broughtout through the top of the mold cavity; and the molded compound wouldthen be filled in around the shell, making an operation that would haveto be executed piece by piece and which therefore was slow andrelatively quiteexpensive as compared with modern molding practice ingeneral.

Efforts to improve upon this have been made by molding a socket body asa separate article, which would be a distinct advantage if successful,but it has been a problem to provide so that the inserted metal shell,in an assembled unit, would be held securely against relative rotationduring use, and so that the union between them would be permanentlyweather-proof.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a combination bywhich a standard metallic shell may be positively and effectively lockedwithin a separately molded socket body or housing, so as to bepermanently secured both against being pulled out from the molded socketand against rotating therein (turning with the lamp base when the lampis to be put in or taken out), and permanently tight against entrance ofmoisture.

Another object is to provide so that a complete socket unit may beassembled quickly and eco- The invention attains these objects andresults by performing the molding operation on the socket body orhousing independently of the shell. Consequently these housings can bemade complete, each as a separate article, at very low cost, by mouldingthem in gangs or batches according to molding methods already known. Thehousing thus made has a pair of holes for the conductor wires to passloosely through later when the metallic shell is inserted. The latter,which may be the usual standard metallic shell, fits nicely into thehollow of the housing. A suitable synthetic water-proof composition isput into the bottom of the housing to seal said holes around theconductors and to fill the lower space between the shell and housing.The shell being then pressed into place, the composition distributesitself, filling the necessary spaces, and in due course of time becomessolidified. Without waiting for the solidification, the shell may bemade permanently secure in its position by denting its sheet metal walloutward at one or more points, opposite one or more cavities which wereprepared for this purpose in the interior face of the housing. Althoughthe dents are made through the screw thread of the shell, into whichthread the lamp base has to enter, they do not interfere with itsreception, for they are dented toward the other side of the screw metalfrom that on which the lamp in received. This fastening means becomesoperative as a lug, which locks the shell against escape from thehousing and against rotation therein; and in coaction with the sealingcomposition, when solidified,

makes the shell secure against rocking within the casing-because the lugis effective at a side wall, near the mouth, and the sealing compositionproviding a solid space-filling seat and side enclosure for the basepart of the shell. The deformation of the shell walls need only berelatively small, and. thus they do not affect in the slighest theability of the shell to receive a lamp base or elecever features ofpatentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed. V

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a series of my improved sockets connectedfor use;

Figure 2 is an elevation, in medial section, through the molded housingof a socket similar to those of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevation, in medial section through a completed socket,except that the wire conductors and the greater part of the metallicshell are left intact; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged elevation of a fragment of Figure 3,illustrating the character of interengagement between shell and casing.

Referring to the drawing, three of my improved socket-assemblies areseen in Figure 1, as they may be connected in parallel to the feed wires"I, for use in connection with an out-of-doors illuminating scheme wherethey may safely be exposed, whether to rain, to hot rays of the sun, orto rigors of wintry weather,weather-proof as regards all naturaltemperature and moisture conditions.

The socket housing f2, seen in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4 is made bymolding from any suitable composition material, such as phenoliccondensation products, which is weather-proof and which also is anexcellent insulator. The housing I2 which roughly is of cup shape, maybe formed with two openings l4, M, in its bottom or base end, whichaccommodate the insulated wire conductors l6, l6. These conductors arethreaded through after being soldered as at H to the proper terminals onthe standard type of metallic shell insert l8.

According to the invention, the molded body I2 has its cup shaped hollow20, seen in Figure 2, of size to receive the shell l8 with nice fitaround the side walls as seen in Figure 3, with a space below theinsert, in the bottom part of the cup,

through which space the conductors l6, l6 extend to their respectiveopenings l4, l4 leading out of the unit. The body I2 is molded into ashape providing one or more small abrupt recesses 22 interiorly of itsside walls, well up toward its mouth. In the drawing four such recesses22 are illustrated, but, obviously, a less or greater number may beprovided, as desired. Thus formed, the molded housing [2 is ready toreceive. its insert l8, whose attached conductors Hi are at that timethreaded through the openings I4' each of which is slightly larger indiameter than one of the conductors. A small amount of a viscoussynthetic sealing composition t5 having been'put into the bottom of thecup body l2, preferably after the conductors it have been threadedthrough the openings l4 but before the shell l8 has been inserted in thehousing l2, all space remaining, around the conductors within thehousing and in the holes M, is filled thereby as the shell insert I 8moves into the hollow of the housing I 2 and its leading end portion H),which consists of a porcelain disk, becomes pushed into the plasticsealing medium I 5, expressing it into all small spaces which needsealing, and holding the inner end of the brass shell l8 steady withinthe housing when the sealing medium has hardened.

While any suitable sealing composition may be used for this purpose, Ihave found it satisfactory to employ the molding material disclosed inPatents 1,251,862 and. 1,251,863 of January 1, 1918, granted onapplication of William W. Carter, a composition which is commonlycharacterized as a synthetic rubber substitute. When used for thepurpose herein stated the composition is made so that it will mold in asofter degree than the usual hard products and is solidified by theapplication of heat at the time the metal shell is forced into themolded housing.

My invention contemplates the reinforcing of the union by providingpositive mechanical engagement or locking of the shell againstmoveshellwalls into a pair of such recesses at opposite locations issufficient to lock the shell effectively and permanently againstrotatory movement, and also against being pulled axially out of themolded body l2. If preferred, the metal at 23 may be semi-punched and atongue of the metal bent outward into the recess 22.

In either case this outward punching or denting of shell wall sets aportion of the shell directly into contact with barriers, viz, againstthat recess wall which is toward the mouth of the casing, and

against the side walls of the recess. The shell and sealing medium thusbecome unmobile within the housing,unwithdrawable, and with no possiblelooseness or play, as the base of the shell came into superficialcontact with the sealing medium when the shell was pressed into it. In

this position the sealing medium co -acts with the lug as a barrier toprevent any rocking of the shell within the housing, and so makes theassemblage perfectly and permanently tight.

The invention thus provides for molding socket housings into whichstandard screw shells can be inserted, both housings and shells beingmade, and the two put together, on principles of mass production; witheconomies in production, with standard efliciency, and with permanentweatherproof durability.

I claimas my invention:

1. A method of making a socket for electrical connection, comprising theforming, independently of each other, of a hollow cup insulating housinghaving a recess in its interior wall spaced from the mouth of thehousing, and a metallic terminal shell to be housed thereby; theconnecting of conductor wires permanently to the ter..

minals of said shell; inserting the conductor wires through holes in thebottom of the formed housing; depositing a plastic sealing compound inthe housing; drawing the shell into the housing, thereby expressing thecompound into sealing position; deforming a portion of the shell intothe said recess of the housing, to lock the shell within the housing;and allowing the sealing compound to harden in said sealing position.

2. A method of making a socket for electrical connection, comprising theforming, independ-.

ently of each other, of a hollow cup insulating housing and a metallicterminal shell to be housed thereby; depositing a plastic insulatingsubstance in the hollow of the housing; settling the shell into theplastic substance; mechanically locking together the side walls ofhousing and metallic shell, with the shell thus engaged in thesubstance; and then letting the plastic substance solidify; whereby theshell is firmly held in the housing between the substance and themechanical locking.

3. A method of making a socket for electrical connection, comprising theforming, independently of each other, of a hollow cup insulatinghousing, having conductor holes in its bottom, and a metallic terminalshell having a closed bottom to be housed thereby, with conductor wiresfor protruding through said holes; depositing a plastic insulatingsubstance in the hollow of the housing; settling the closed bottom ofthe shell into the plastic substance, with wires passing out through theholes, thereby forcing that substance into the spaces around theconductors in the holes, and into space intervening between side wallsof housing and of shell; mechanically locking together the side walls ofhousing and metallic shell; and then letting the plastic substancesolidify.

CLINTON BATEHOLTS.

